International dance exchange 1000 Pieces Puzzle kicks off in Brussels and signs off in London

1000 Pieces Puzzle 2017, London. Photo: Alex Rumford

On Monday 13 February we travelled to Brussels with 14 UK based artists for international dance exchange 1000 Pieces Puzzle, led by Cindy Claes.

We were joined by 1 Jamaican, 1 American and 14 Belgian artists with influences from diverse dance styles including Afrobeats, Dancehall, Krump, House, Hip Hop and Contemporary.

The artists spent six days in Brussels exploring artistic skills in dance technique, choreography and dance film as well as developing their entrepreneurial skills.

“I think this project is extremely important because it is an international exchange.
In a world that is creating or nurturing a lot of division this programme is about bringing people together, knocking down walls and building bridges culturally, artistically and on a personal level.” Cindy Claes

The second week of 1000 Pieces Puzzle saw our 30 dance artists arrive in London on 27 Feb and perform an explosive showcase of work created over the two week exchange at Rich Mix on Sunday 5 March.

With influences from Afrobeats, Dancehall, Krump, House, Hip Hop, Contemporary and more, this unique evening of scratch performances was a vibrant showcase of some of the most expressive dance styles around.

The showcase capped off another packed week for the artists that included talks from Benji Reid, Franck Wilson and Kate Scanlan, film-making and workshops that explored choreography, storytelling and the development of leadership skills.

This year’s participants were:

Olu Alatise, Esme Benjamin, Leon Benjamin, Ffion Campbell-Davies, Robin Capelle, Viki Chebron, Laurence Cooke, Deidra Cooper-Jenkins, Oumar Diallo, Dennis Gordon, Nicolas Gutierrez de la Torre, Saskia Horton, Djimi Kahunda-kikonda, Betty Mansion, Alejandro Martinez Sanjuan, Gold Mayanga, Kimiko Miller, Gaddiel Mvutu, Tomas Ntamashimikiro, Junior Nwachukwu, Britt Ryckebosch, Michael Simon, Rakel Suarez Duenas, Talisha Thomas-Lindsay, Pauline Thuriot, Jonathan Tshimanga, Sanne Van Crombruggen, Evelyne Van Hecke, Blanche Vieillevoye, Rosie Wilson

Check out our photo highlights from the residencies. Photos 1 – 8 by Charlotte Lara de Cort & 9 – 16 by Alex Rumford

1000 Pieces Puzzle is an international exchange programme presented by Cindy Claes ProductionsZinnema and East London Dance with the support of Erasmus+